Chinese Foreign Minister Warns Again ‘Vaccine Nationalism’ as Beijing Delivers Shots Worldwide

What’s new: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the world to reject “vaccine nationalism” and promote fair and equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, adding that China has exported vaccines to 22 countries.

Speaking at a United Nations meeting on Wednesday, China’s top diplomat said nations must cooperate, respect science and reject misinformation, with the Security Council leading by example.

Wang went on to call for the rejection of vaccine nationalism and for making doses more accessible and affordable. The needs of developing countries must be prioritized, and United Nations agencies should use their own shipping channels to resolve delivery challenges, he added.

What’s more: Wang said China is contributing 10 million doses to the global vaccine sharing initiative COVAX, has exported vaccines to 22 countries and is helping others to boost production capacities. 

He also said that vaccines are powerful weapons to combat the coronavirus, but several problems must be addressed, including the need to boost production and improve distribution.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)